DESPITE a two-game thrashing of Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls in their recent home Test series, New Zealand’s netballing interests are less than happy with the Silver Ferns’ performance ahead of October’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.

The former world champions had 23- and 22-point victories against an under-strength Jamaica senior side in both matches, beating them 58-35 in game one in Christchurch and 62-40 in the second match in Napier.

It was the tailend of a ‘whitewash’ by the top two nations in the world after the Jamaicans suffered a similar 3-0 Test series defeat at the hands of world champions Australia a few days earlier.

“I think we let ourselves down badly… we lacked the self-confidence to say ‘we can compete with this team’,” national coach Connie Francis told reporters at the end of the series.

However, reports out of New Zealand are that the netball authorities there may be equally unhappy with their team’s performances a little over a month ahead of the second biggest netball tournament in the world.

National coach Ruth Aitken expressed displeasure with the way the Kiwis responded to the Jamaican tactics after the first game.

“We tend not to play from a dot-to-dot sort of style… it’s certainly a work in progress, but I hope it’ll be better this week. I don’t think we’ll miraculously fix it, it’s going to be ongoing,” she said.

Francis compared the depth of both the Australia and New Zealand teams following the series and believes the Diamonds are the more sturdy outfit.

“They’re faster than New Zealand and also their defensive end is tough,” she said. “Their entire squad, their entire 12, is a tough bunch, compared to New Zealand.,” Francis said.

“When New Zealand do bring on other players you see a little gap there, a little weakness,” she added.

Australia beat New Zealand on their home turf in Auckland to take the World Netball Championships (WNC) title three years ago, but the Silver Ferns took the title in the shorter, faster FASTNET World Series in Manchester, England last year, beating Jamaica in the final.

Australia and New Zealand will meet in a three-Test series next week in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games, while a fortified Jamaica team will face third-ranked England in a two-Test series here at the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC) on September 1 and 3.

In the meantime, while Francis said Jamaica has a good chance of winning the gold medal in Delhi, New Zealand-based

journalist Matt Richens who covered the recent series implies that that is virtually impossible.

” …On current form, they look about as likely as their bobsled team in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics,” Richens wrote in a report in New Zealand’s Waikato Times.

Meanwhile, Australia coach Norma Plummer, who last year said the Sunshine Girls would be unbeatable with the right facilities and funds, has criticised her New Zealand counterpart’s team selection process.

Aitken selected the Commonwealth Games team after a two-day camp, which Plummer described as “risky”.

The Australian team for the Games will be chosen following next week’s series against their Oceania neighbours.

Jamaica should be bolstered by the return of goal-shooter and captain Simone Forbes and goalkeeper Althea Byfield for the England series.